Transition Trucking awards military veteran with new Kenworth T680

For the second year in a row, a military veteran received the keys to a fully loaded Kenworth T680.

Fastport

Greg Softy (right), a 28-year veteran of the U.S. Army and truck driver for Stevens Transport, accepts the keys to 2017 Kenworth T680 that he won for being named the winner of Fastport’s 2017 Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence Award.

Greg Softy, a 28-year veteran of the U.S. Army and truck driver for Stevens Transport, was named the winner of Fastport’s 2017 Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence Award. Softy was announced as the winner during a ceremony on Friday, Dec. 15, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hall of Flags in Washington, D.C.

The award is part of a program to encourage military veterans to find a home in the trucking industry.

Softy received a 2017 Kenworth T680 with an approximate value of $155,000. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Softy then spent 28 years of active duty before retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

“I feel my military career has prepared me for the responsibilities and challenges that come with driving a truck and being within this industry,” Softy said in a video to voters. “Trucking, like the military, is a people business. The military has instilled in me the imperative of treating everyone with dignity and respect regardless of position or job.”

The other two finalists for the award were Wayne Roy, of U.S. Xpress, and Daniel Shonebarger, of Melton Truck Lines. Roy was a combat veteran with the U.S. Marines, and Shonebarger was a decorated U.S. Navy veteran with three sea service deployment ribbons. Roy and Shonebarger each received $10,000 in prize money.

Nominations for the second annual award began in March. Requirements for nominees:

must be a military veteran or a current or former member of the National Guard or military services;

must have graduated from a certified driver training school and be a current CDL holder;

must have been employed by any for-hire carrier or private fleet that has pledged to hire veterans through TruckingTrack.org; and

must have been first employed as a truck driver between Jan. 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017.

The nominations were narrowed to 10 in July and then to three in August. Public voting finished Oct. 31.

The award’s inaugural winner was Troy Davidson, a U.S. Navy veteran who works with Werner.